Footnotes

CHAPTER 1 - Introduction

[1]        House of Representatives Votes and Proceedings, 14 March 2012, p. 1303.

[2]        Journals of the Senate, 22 March 2012, p. 2351. Both bills were also referred to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs (House committee) on 15 March 2012, House of Representatives Votes and Proceedings, 15 March 2012, p. 1322; House of Representatives Hansard, 15 March 2012, p. 61. The House committee tabled an advisory report on 25 June 2012 which recommended that both bills be passed. The advisory report is available via the House committee's website at: www.aph.gov.au/spla (accessed 26 June 2012).

[3]        Journals of the Senate, 18 June 2012, p. 2485.

[4]        The Hon Nicola Roxon MP, Attorney-General, House of Representatives Hansard, 14 March 2012, p. 2785.

[5]        The Hon Nicola Roxon MP, Attorney-General, House of Representatives Hansard, 14 March 2012, p. 2785.

[6]        EM, Judicial Complaints Bill, p. 2.

[7]        The Hon Nicola Roxon MP, Attorney-General, House of Representatives Hansard, 14 March 2012, p. 2785.

[8]        EM, Judicial Complaints Bill, p. 2.

[9]        EM, Parliamentary Commissions Bill, p. 2.

[10]      The Hon Nicola Roxon MP, Attorney-General, House of Representatives Hansard, 14 March 2012, p. 2786.

[11]      Department of the Senate, Odgers' Australian Senate Practice, 12^th edition, 2008, pp 511-513; Enid Campbell and HP Lee, The Australian Judiciary, 2001, p. 101.

[12]      For example, see Family Court of Australia, Judicial Complaints Procedure, available at: http://www.familycourt.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/FCOA/home/about/Feedback/FCOA_complaints_judicial (accessed 2 May 2012).

[13]      For example, in the Family Court, the Deputy Chief Judge manages judicial complaints assisted by a Judicial Complaints Adviser.

[14]      See Federal Court of Australia, Judicial complaints procedure, available at: http://www.fedcourt.gov.au/contacts/contacts_other_complaints.html (accessed 2 May 2012); Family Court of Australia, Judicial Complaints Procedure, available at: http://www.familycourt.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/FCOA/home/about/Feedback/FCOA_complaints_judicial (accessed 2 May 2012); Federal Magistrates Court, Judicial Complaints Procedure, available at: http://www.fmc.gov.au/pubs/docs/Judicial_Complaints_Procedure.pdf (accessed 2 May 2012).

[15]      Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry Act 1986, subsection 5(1). Repealed by Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (Repeal) Act 1986. Further discussion and commentary on this matter is provided in Department of the Senate, Odgers' Australian Senate Practice, 12^th edition, 2008, pp 511-538; see also Enid Campbell and HP Lee, The Australian Judiciary, 2001, pp 102-103.

[16]      Enid Campbell and HP Lee, The Australian Judiciary, 2001, pp 102-103.

[17]      Further examples in NSW are outlined in Department of the Senate, Odgers' Australian Senate Practice, 13^th edition, 2012, pp 684-685, extract tabled by the Clerk of the Senate at the committee's public hearing on 11 May 2012; see also Enid Campbell and HP Lee, The Australian Judiciary, 2001, pp 106-108.

[18]      See Enid Campbell and HP Lee, The Australian Judiciary, 2001, pp 105-106; The Hon James Thomas AM, Judicial Ethics in Australia, 3^rd edition, 2009, pp 155-157; Department of the Senate, Odgers' Australian Senate Practice, 13^th edition, 2012, pp 683-684, extract tabled by the Clerk of the Senate at the committee's public hearing on 11 May 2012.

[19]      Constitutional Commission, Final Report of the Constitutional Commission, Volume 1, 1988, p. 406.

[20]      Constitutional Commission, Final Report of the Constitutional Commission, Volume 1, 1988, p. 406.

[21]      Australian Law Reform Commission, Managing Justice: A Review of the Federal Civil Litigation System, Report 89, February 2000, p. 11, available at www.alrc.gov.au/report-89 (accessed 5 May 2012).

[22]      Australian Law Reform Commission, Managing Justice: A Review of the Federal Civil Litigation System, Report 89, February 2000, p. 12.

[23]      Australian Law Reform Commission, Managing Justice: A Review of the Federal Civil Litigation System, Report 89, February 2000, p. 31.

[24]      Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee, Australia's Judicial System and the Role of Judges, December 2009, available from the committee's website: www.aph.gov.au/senate_legalcon.

[25]      Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee, Australia's Judicial System and the Role of Judges, December 2009, p. 95. The Judicial Commission of NSW was established under the Judicial Officers Act 1986 (NSW). It functions to assist that state's courts achieve consistency in sentencing, and it supervises appropriate judicial education, as well as examining complaints against judicial officers. Judicial complaints which are investigated by the Judicial Commission of NSW can be dismissed, referred to the relevant head of jurisdiction for appropriate action, or referred to a Conduct Division for further investigation. In investigating judicial complaints, the Conduct Division has the functions, protections and immunities of a royal commission. The Conduct Division must either provide a report to the relevant head of jurisdiction or a report to the Governor setting out whether a complaint is wholly or partly substantiated, and whether it could justify parliamentary consideration of the removal of the judicial officer from office: Judicial Commission of NSW, Guide for Complainants, available at: www.judcom.nsw.gov.au (accessed 5 May 2012).

[26]      Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee, Australia's Judicial System and the Role of Judges, December 2009, p. 73.

[27]      Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee, Australia's Judicial System and the Role of Judges, December 2009, p. 97.

[28]      Australian Government response to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee's report Australia's Judicial System and the Role of Judges, pp 4-5, available from the committee's website: www.aph.gov.au/senate_legalcon.

[29]      Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee, Australia's Judicial System and the Role of Judges, December 2009, p. 7.

[30]      Australian Government response to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee report Australia's Judicial System and the Role of Judges, p. 1.

[31]      Senator Linda Kirk, Senate Hansard, 11 September 2007, p. 35; the Hon Duncan Kerr SC MP, House of Representatives Hansard, 31 May 2010, p. 4709.

CHAPTER 2 - Judicial Complaints Bill

[1]        EM, Judicial Complaints Bill, pp 8-9.

[2]        EM, Judicial Complaints Bill, pp 9-10.

[3]        Submission 4, p. 1.

[4]        Submission 7, p. 4.

[5]        Submission 7, p. 4.

[6]        Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 2.

[7]        Submission 7, pp 4-6.

[8]        Submission 7, p. 3.

[9]        Submission 7, p. 3.

[10]      Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 1.

[11]      Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 1.

[12]      Committee Hansard, 25 May 2012, p. 4.

[13]      Submission 7, pp 4-6.

[14]      Submission 6, p. 5.

[15]      Submission 6, p. 5.

[16]      Submission 7, p. 5.

[17]      Committee Hansard, 11 May 2012, p. 8.

[18]      Committee Hansard, 11 May 2012, p. 8.

[19]      Committee Hansard, 25 May 2012, p. 3.

[20]      Committee Hansard, 25 May 2012, p. 1.

[21]      Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 4.

[22]      Federal Court of Australia, Submission 1, p. 1; Judicial Conference of Australia, Submission 4, pp 1-2.

[23]      Submission 4, p. 2.

[24]      Submission 5, p. 9.

[25]      Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 5.

[26]      Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 5.

[27]      Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 2.

[28]      Section 17, High Court of Australia Act 1976.

[29]      For example, Canadian Judicial Council, Ethical Principles for Judges, 2004, available at: http://www.cjc-ccm.gc.ca/cmslib/general/CJC-CCM-Procedures-2010.pdf (accessed 30 May 2012).

[30]      Council of Chief Justices of Australia and Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration, Guide to Judicial Conduct, 2^nd ed, 2007, available at: http://www.supremecourt.wa.gov.au/publications/pdf/GuidetoJudicialConduct(2ndEd).pdf (accessed 30 May 2012).

[31]      Council of Chief Justices of Australia and Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration, Guide to Judicial Conduct, 2^nd ed, 2007, p. 1 (Guide). The Guide identifies three objectives of the principles applicable to judicial conduct: to uphold public confidence in the administration of justice; to enhance public respect for the institution of the judiciary; and to protect the reputation of individual judicial officers and of the judiciary. The Guide also identifies three basic principles against which judicial conduct should be tested to ensure compliance with the above objectives: impartiality; judicial independence; and integrity and personal behaviour (p. 3).

CHAPTER 3 - Parliamentary Commissions Bill

[1]        However, the definitions for 'misbehaviour' and 'incapacity' exclude clause 73 of the Parliamentary Commission Bill dealing with misbehaviour or incapacity of commission members. These terms have their 'ordinary meaning' in clause 73.

[2]        Committee Hansard, 11 May 2012, p. 4.

[3]        Submission 2, p. 3.

[4]        Committee Hansard, 11 May 2012, p. 4.

[5]        Committee Hansard, 11 May 2012, p. 5.

[6]        Submission 2, p. 9, quoting Department of the Senate, Odgers' Australian Senate Practice, 12^th edition, 2008, p. 516.

[7]        Submission 14, p. 1.

[8]        Submission 14, p. 2.

[9]        Submission 14, p. 2.

[10]      Submission 14, p. 2 (emphasis in original).

[11]      Submission 3, p. 3.

[12]      Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 3.

[13]      Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 2.

[14]      Submission 7, p. 7.

[15]      Submission 7, p. 7 (emphasis in original).

[16]      Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 3.

[17]      Supplementary Submission 2, pp 1-2. 

[18]      Submission 2, p. 2.

[19]      Submission 2, p. 3.

[20]      Submission 2, p. 4.

[21]      Submission 2, p. 4.

[22]      Submission 3, p. 1.

[23]      Submission 7, p. 2.

[24]      Submission 2, p. 5 (emphasis in original).

[25]      See, for example, Committee Hansard, 11 May 2012, pp 3 and 21.

[26]      Response to question on notice provided by the Clerk of the Senate on 16 May 2012.

[27]      Submission 5, p. 4.

[28]      Submission 2, p. 4.

[29]      Committee Hansard, 11 May 2012, p. 1.

[30]      Submission 3, p. 6.

[31]      Submission 3, p. 7.

[32]      Committee Hansard, 25 May 2012, p. 3.

[33]      Submission 3, p. 8.

[34]      Committee Hansard, 25 May 2012, p. 2.

[35]      Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 7.

[36]      Submission 13, p. 1.

[37]      Submission 2, p. 7.

[38]      Submission 2, p. 7.

[39]      Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 5.

[40]      Submission 2, p. 7.

[41]      Committee Hansard, 11 May 2012, p. 2.

[42]      Submission 2, p. 7. See Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (Repeal) Act 1986, section 6.

[43]      Ms Katrina Fairburn, Attorney-General's Department, Committee Hansard, 11 May 2012, p. 25.

[44]      Submission 2, p. 8.

[45]      EM, Parliamentary Commissions Bill, p. 40.

[46]      Submission 2, p. 8.

[47]      Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 5.

[48]      Submission 2, pp 8-9.

[49]      Committee Hansard, 11 May 2012, p. 2.

[50]      Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 5.

[51]      For example, Professor Andrew Lynch, Gilbert and Tobin Centre of Public Law, Committee Hansard, 25 May 2012, p. 1; Liberty Victoria, Submission 8, p. 1.

[52]      Australian Law Reform Commission, Managing Justice: A Review of the Federal Civil Litigation System, Report 89, February 2000, pp 239-240.

[53]      Harry Evans, 'Parliament and the Judges: the removal of federal judges under section 72 of the Constitution', (1987) 2(2) Legislative Studies, p. 29.

[54]      Clauses 79 and 48, Parliamentary Commissions Bill.

[55]      Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 5.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS BY LIBERAL SENATORS

[1]        Submission 2, Supplementary submission, pp 1-2.

[2]        Submission 7, p. 7.

[3]        Response to questions on notice provided by the Attorney-General's Department on 24 May 2012, p. 3.

DISSENTING REPORT BY SENATOR THE HON BILL HEFFERNAN

[1]        Submission 7, p. 3.

[2]        Scholars of the University of Adelaide Law School, Submission 7, p. 5; Professor Andrew Lynch, Gilbert and Tobin Centre of Public Law, Committee Hansard, 11 May 2012, p. 8.

[3]        For example, see Clerk of the Senate, Submission 2, p. 4.

[4]        Submission 14, p. 2.

[5]        Department of the Senate, Odgers' Australian Senate Practice, 13^th edition, 2012, p. 46-48.

[6]        Subsection 16(3).

[7]        Submission 3, p. 6.

[8]        Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee, Australia's Judicial System and the Role of Judges, December 2009, p. 95.